2000
#121,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Gulston
Geographical surname referring to someone from Gulston, an area in Shropshire, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 175 Americans carry the last name Gulston. That puts it at #119,572 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,958,596 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gulston surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
175
1 in 1,958,596
Census rank
#119,572
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
153
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 153 bearers of the surname Gulston in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 119572nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gulston, the largest self-reported group is Black at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and White (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gulston
The surname Gulston has its origins in England, tracing back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "gul" meaning "yellow" and "tun" meaning "town" or "settlement." This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived in a town or village with a distinctive yellow hue, perhaps due to the local soil or natural surroundings.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Gulston name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275, where a Robert de Gulston is listed. This indicates that the name was already established in that region during the medieval period.
In the 14th century, the Gulston name appears in various historical records, including the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from 1332, which document a Henry de Gulston. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire from 1346 also mention a William de Gulston.
By the 15th century, the surname had evolved into its more modern spelling. The Feet of Fines for Staffordshire in 1478 reference a John Gulston, while the Subsidy Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1523 list a Thomas Gulston.
One notable figure bearing the Gulston name was John Gulston (c. 1542-1599), a renowned English classical scholar and translator. He was born in Hertfordshire and attended Christ Church, Oxford, where he became a fellow in 1564. Gulston is best known for his Latin translations of several Greek works, including Plutarch's "Lives" and Euripides' "Orestes."
Another prominent individual with this surname was William Gulston (1624-1684), a 17th-century English clergyman and Bishop of Bristol. He was born in Wiltshire and educated at Pembroke College, Oxford, before being ordained as a priest in the Church of England. Gulston served as the Bishop of Bristol from 1679 until his death in 1684.
In the 18th century, the Gulston name was associated with John Gulston (1724-1799), a British Army officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. He was born in Worcestershire and joined the army in 1742, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel before retiring in 1793.
Another notable figure was Edward Gulston (1787-1868), a British politician and member of parliament. He was born in Hertfordshire and represented the constituency of Poole in Dorset from 1835 to 1847.
The Gulston surname has also been prominent in the field of medicine. Sir Joseph Gulston (1905-1982) was a renowned British surgeon and medical educator. He was born in Gloucestershire and served as the President of the Royal College of Surgeons from 1961 to 1967.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gulston
Among Census respondents with the surname Gulston, the largest self-reported group is Black at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and White (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Gulston bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Gulston surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American89.5% · 137
- Two or more races4.6% · 7
- White2.6% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gulston
Gulston appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-18 bearers (-13.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 24,162 places
2020
#119,572
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 153
+39 bearers (+34.2%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 25,648 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,058 | 132 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-13.6%) | Down 24,162 places |
| 2020 | #119,572 | 153 | 0.05 | +39 bearers (+34.2%) | Up 25,648 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Gulston surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #145,220 | #119,572 | 17.7% |
| Count | 114 | 153 | 34.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.05 | 28.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gulston bearers went from 114 to 153 (+34.2% change). The surname moved up 25,648 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #119,572.
FAQ
Gulston surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gulston?
Name Census estimates that about 175 living Americans carry the surname Gulston. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,958,596 residents.
How common is Gulston?
Gulston ranks #119,572 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 153 people with the surname Gulston. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (175), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Gulston.
Has Gulston become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gulston went from 114 recorded bearers to 153. That is an increase of 39 (+34.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #145,220 to #119,572.
What does the Census say about the background of Gulston?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gulston, the largest self-reported group is Black at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and White (2.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gulston in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (137 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gulston appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (89.5%), Two or More Races (4.6%), White (2.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Gulston (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Gulston mean?
Geographical surname referring to someone from Gulston, an area in Shropshire, England. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Gulston (0.05 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Gulston?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.